A Bit of Happy

Belle's First Snow Adventure.

2010-03-04T01:07:00.002-05:00

"What is this?!"

"I must get geared up to take on the mysterious white stuff!"

"Here we go!"

Happiness Needs A Little Investment Too

2010-03-01T16:28:00.001-05:00

By: Carl Hampton

Sometimes we get so caught on in our own problems that we often forget the smaller things in life. We invest in technological devices or even a luxury car but do those things really make us happy? And if so, for how long? Academic studies have shown that material things do not create a consistent sense of happiness. If this is so, what will keep us happy? It is very easy to fall into the following routine, wake up, go to work, go home, relax, eat and go to sleep. Then wake up the next day and do the same thing. Research has shown that if you make more time for your family and friends you will create a good level of happiness. When we are in the presence of other people we like certain parts of our brain produce a stimulant that triggers happiness. Being with family and friends can make us more active and energetic. So try making your family and friends a priority.
Try to stop stressing out over the money. As Americans we are always concerned about making more money and keeping up with the Jones. We work that much harder in the hope of getting promoted or getting a pay raise. Most Americans when they achieve that goal admit they still want more, we are never satisfied. Experts call this obsession "hedonic adaptation" or the "hedonic treadmill."

What we should be doing is Keeping and cherishing what we already have. Research has shown that once we reach a comfortable standard of living we are only really happy when we receive more money or move to a bigger house or to a better neighborhood. As weird as this may sound some people are happy when they know that their neighbors or friends have less money than they do.
Here are some things that may help you reach a lasing happiness. Try not to commute to far, rush hour traffic does not make anyone happy. Moving into a better neighborhood might be nice but if you have to drive an hour to get to work maybe you should rethink the living situation. Is the commute to a nice area worth your leisure time? Probably not.
Eat right. I know you are probably hearing that a lot lately with all those diets or diet plans advertised on our TVs. Besides the physical aspect eating right makes your emotions better. Eating satisfies a very basic need and you should enjoy it. Along those lines some form of activity is also very good for us. We all know being active can be a challenge but research has shown that the more active one is, the more happiness they will experience.
Become a volunteer, it really doesn't matter what your passion is volunteering is a very rewarding activity. It makes you feel valuable and lets you see others doing good deeds. It allows you to see the world as a good place and that will help you feel better about yourself and others.
Make time to do things with your family and friends. Try doing the simple things like eating dinner at the table, turn off the TV and talk to each other.
We Americans like to have everything now we just can't wait, well life's not really like that so you will need to give these things some time to work. Emotional changes aren't that drastic at least when you're trying to move towards happiness. That shift is going to be gradual it could take months or even years to reach full and complete happiness. Just give it time!

About the Author
"Your" Money Matters By Carl Hampton From the Author of "From Credit Despair To Credit Millionaire" http://www.CarlHampton.com http://www.fcdtcm.com

Source: Advice Articles on ArticlesTree.com

Mind Power: Achieve Happiness With Positive Thinking Tips

2010-02-25T16:14:00.005-05:00

By: Joel Chue

Being a negative thinker is very unhealthy as it lowers your self-esteem and bad for your morale. It drains your energy rapidly and causes you to lose focus. To stop being a negative thinker, you have to change your thoughts pattern.

1. The first tip to being positive is to look after your body and mind. To ensure that you are in a good shape, eat well, exercise regularly, sleep well and spend time with your family. A relaxed and healthy body is a natural attractant for positive energy.
2. Reject and delete any negative thoughts that flashed through your mind. Researchers found out that an average person has about 60 000 thoughts being flashed through his mind on a single day. Why should anyone cling onto a negative thought? Make a conscious decision, and do your best to rid of any negative thoughts.
3. Hug your loved ones. By hugging, it increases your self-esteem. It makes you feel comfortable and loved. Move past a cold and sturdy handshake, and hug someone you really love and care for.
4. Make sure that you surround yourself with happy, cheerful people. Avoid friends who think poorly of themselves. This way your mind will always pick up positive vibes.
5. On a piece of paper, write down all the things that you are happy and grateful for. They can be your friends, your colleagues and your family. After you are done with the writing, paste the list somewhere it is conspicuous so that you can see it everyday. This will remind you of all the things you are grateful for and not take the things you have now for granted. Most importantly, it keeps you happy too.
6. When met with arduous problems, be optimistic and say statements like "I can do this". Avoid any kind and form of negative statements as they can lower your self-confidence.
7. Be your own man. Don't be afraid to speak up. You will never gain in confidence if you constantly worry as to what the others will think of you. In fact, by staying quiet you may give wrong ideas to others about your skills, knowledge, abilities, etc.
8. Don't assume negative things. You should not tie yourself in knots if you are told that your boss wants to meet you. For all you know, your boss may have called you to express his appreciation for something you did.
9. Extend a helping hand to those in need. You can read a story to your neighbor's mother who is crippled and can't move; or you may go out and trim the garden of an orphanage on a weekend you are free. You will find that these small gestures have a wonderful way of generating positive energy. They make you feel warm, energetic and wanted.
10. There may be times when you find it impossible to get rid of negative thoughts. In such situations you should go out of your house for a walk or a jog. You can even go to the gym and do some light exercises. Such activity takes your mind off the negative thoughts.
If you follow these steps, you will find that your mind starts rejecting negative thoughts on its own.

About the Author
Discover the secret behind the Mind Power and Law of Attraction

I have just completed my brand new report to the subconscious mind, Mind Power Hacks
Download it free here:

Power of your Subconscious Mind

Source: Self Improvement Articles on ArticlesTree.com

Learning music from a kid

2010-02-18T22:25:00.003-05:00

While I was babysitting my nieces and nephew earlier today I started playing the little that I know on their piano. Yeah, slightly embarrassing since they are amazing at playing and I can only play what my light-up keyboard taught me. Since I have never learned how to read music, I asked my youngest niece, Sophie, to teach me. She gave me a brief overview but had to cut it short due to homework. Therefore I decided I wanted to learn to play so I can and least hold my own against them next time. Ha. So I started checking out a couple of online tutorials such as Introduction to Reading Music and Play music and learn music notes the fun way. This was my inspiration for the day. Why not branch out and learn something you've always wanted to learn as well?

2/14 What Makes You Happy || Valentine's Day Edition

2010-02-14T00:44:00.015-05:00

Christy says:

My hubby, Chris, makes me so happy. He never fails to surprise me. I love him so much. Happy Valentine's Day!

Windee says:

Happy Valentine's day Josh! I love you!

Jason says:

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day Jen!

Fun With Your Face

2010-02-10T12:10:00.011-05:00

Ever wonder what celebrity you look like? What your kids might look like? Check out this fun collection of websites that allow you to play with your face.

Avatarize Yourself

Transform yourself into the characters from James Cameron's Avatar. If you want to see something scary - try this. Haha. It moves and everything...

FACEinHOLE.com

"Haven't you ever wanted to see what you'd look like as Harry Potter, James Bond, Paris Hilton or one of the Rolling Stones? Well now you can with FACEinHOLE.com."

JibJab

"There's a JibJab Sendables eCard for any occasion. Whether it's a Birthday, New Born Baby, Anniversary or just for fun. Why send a plain old ecard when you can send a JibJab Sendables eCard instead?"

Morphthing.com

What will your baby look like if you had babies with your partner, friends, or celebrities? Find out on MorphThing.com.

MyHeritage.com Face Recognition

"Find the Celebrity in You. Upload a photo and discover which celebrity you resemble the most."

PhotoFunia

"PhotoFunia LAB is a set of very useful image manipulating tools and filters which can be applied directly to your image. Most of the generated images are available in hi resolution and are perfect for turning them into real printed photos or posters. If you have any ideas you'd like to share with us please drop us a line."

YouWild.org

"Watch yourself -- or a friend, family member or pet -- morph into an animal before your eyes. Then take action and share your morph to raise awareness about threats to our wildlife!"

Morphases

"Morphases is an online next generation software in face manipulation. It allows user to modify and create human faces from different elements in real time with almost an unlimited power. All elements are divided individually and stored into genebank."

What it Would Look Like if If Filmmakers Directed the Superbowl

2010-02-07T14:54:00.003-05:00

Source

What Makes You Happy Collective Video

2010-01-30T14:57:00.018-05:00

We will be working on a collective media project starring...you!

What it is -

We will be creating a collective video of what makes people happy.

What to do-

Send in a video of yourself telling us what makes you happy. Can't send in a video? That's perfectly okay, just tell us in text form and we will still incorporate it.

Guidelines - Please read carefully:

To submit a video, you must agree to the guidelines:

Everything must be original content, no copy written content will be accepted.

Anything submitted must be made specificly for the happiness collection project.

Must be over 18 to send anything in.

Remember, keep it clean. Obviously, no nudity, obscenity, offensive language, ect.

No logos on clothing, please.

We will use at our sole discretion which videos will be included.

Keep in mind that anything that you send in may be included in the What Makes You Happy Collective Project and will be seen by the public.

By submitting any content you agree that A Bit of Happy will be able to include it in the project.

Must include in email that you agree with these terms.

Got it? To participate:

Send your video as an attachment or link to video location.

If sending a video: File size must be under 20 MB and under 5 minute long:

What to say in video? Simple. Say what makes you happy

If you do not have a video, just tell us what makes you happy.

Include your name if you would like to be credited.

Let's make this video! Stay tuned for more information.

Some Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

2010-01-28T22:50:00.003-05:00

Need Valentine's Day Ideas? Check out some of our sponsors:

If you like unique things, I highly suggest checking out Perpetual kid's Valentine's Day Gifts. I ordered the majority of my Christmas gifts there and was beyond pleased with everything.

Or, why don't you create a Smilebox photo collage. 100's of templates to choose from. It's free! Plus, homemade gifts are always the best!

Image: Dynamite Imagery / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Updates: Twitter and Valentine's day

2010-01-27T13:04:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone! Just a couple of updates.

First, A Bit of Happy has a twitter. Finally! Feel free to add us.

Second, will will be doing some minor tweaks over the next couple of days so please excuse any mess.

Third, remember to keep sending in what makes you happy! This site is all about you! We will be doing a special Valentine's Day posting, so if you have someone that makes you happy, let them know.

Submit special Valentine's Day requests here and we will post it on February 14.

1/27 What Makes You Happy?

2010-01-27T12:45:00.000-05:00

Carlos says:

Watching football makes me happy. Can't wait for Superbowl Sunday! Will be having a party with all my friends. Plus, it's the only day my wife will watch it with me!

Windee says:

When I was a kid, water balloon fights always made me happy.

A day at the park with Ginger and Fox

2010-01-23T01:37:00.002-05:00

What do you get when you take curiosity

and add a bit of peer pressure?

The Result:

A wet doggie, of course. Good job, Ginger.

2010-01-17T17:20:00.004-05:00

A Word from our Sponsor:

If you've got some time on your hands, A Fun Zone is sure to entertain! Home to A Daily Brain Teaser By E-mail Club. Plus over 1000 Brain Teasers and 395 free to play games. New games added weekly. A Fun Zone offers an absolutely enormous archive of free puzzles, games, brainteasers, quizzes, IQ tests, trivia, contests, and free stuff.

Help Haiti

2010-01-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

Visit the Red Cross website to see how you can help people in Haiti. You can also donate to the Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to 90999 and $10 will be added to your next phone bill. Any little bit helps.

Everyday is a good day for CAKE!

2010-01-14T07:19:00.007-05:00

Every once in a while, I just want cake. Yummy, moist, diet-wreakingly-awesome cake. Well, in my quest for finding the perfect recipe, I turned to good ol' Martha Stewart for delicious classic cakes. The article has recipes for several yummy cakes, including a No-Bake Birthday Cake, Moist Devil's Food Cake, Caramel Cake, Lemon Meringue Cake, Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting and last but not least - Carrot Cake.

Speaking of carrot cake, it brings to mind the baby riding the carrot from the amazingly amusing blog, Cake Wreaks. As the name suggests, people submit pictures of professionally made cakes gone hilariously wrong. The people take makes the cakes are certainly....talented (Creative? Crazy?). It never fails to make me laugh.

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mission:) Smile - Street light

2010-01-10T21:38:00.002-05:00

I randomly found this smile while I was looking through old pictures on my computer. Street light, what are you so happy about?

Send in your smiles!

01/09/10 What Makes You Happy?

2010-01-09T12:28:00.001-05:00

Cindy says:

Building a snowmen after people I know then getting them to take pictures with it!

S.D. says:

Playingbasket ball makes me happy!

Lynnda says:

Hot chocolate on a cold night.

Jason says:

When I see my kids when I get off work. Seeing their happy faces running towards me makes me so happy.

Make The Earth Happy!

2009-12-10T04:29:00.014-05:00

A new face has appeared around our store! Look super cute while going green with the Make The Earth Happy Tote bag! The earth will thank you :D

Where did the Christmas Tree Angel come from?

2009-12-09T02:55:00.000-05:00

One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her Mom was coming to visit; this stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out at heaven knows where. More stress.

Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys. So, frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of coffee and a shot of whiskey. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered that the elves had hid the liquor and there was nothing to drink.

In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the coffeepot and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw it was made of. Just then the doorbell rang and Santa cussed on his way to the door. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas Santa. Isn't it just a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Isn't it just a lovely tree? Where would you like me to stick it?

Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the tree.

Author Unknown

Mr. Bean's Christmas

2009-12-06T03:16:00.000-05:00

Visit Mr. Bean's Website

Shopping online makes us happy :)

2009-11-29T04:09:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Did anyone partake in black Friday? Let's just say, for us, online shopping for Christmas presents is the best thing in the world!

Anyways, we want to hear what makes you happy about this time of the year! Submit away!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T12:03:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I am thankful for my amazing family and friends.

What Are you thankful for on this day?

Image: Simon Howden

One World - We're all in this together

2009-11-18T20:34:00.001-05:00

11/15 What Makes You Happy

2009-11-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

Meagan says:

November weather makes me happy!

Karla says:

My husband makes me really happy. He is the best.

Molly says:

Cheese grit casserole makes me happy.

Jillian says:

Being artsy with my boyfriend makes me happy :D

11/13 What Makes You Happy?

2009-11-13T12:16:00.000-05:00

Nancy says:

Waking up with one cat on my feet and one cat on my pillow makes me happy.

Victoria says:

This cat on my desk is making me happy.

Chelsea says:

Taking a hot shower and getting in your pj's after being cold and wet all day makes me happy :)

Courtney says:

Shopping for Christmas decorations makes me happy!